Ok,
A couple of years ago I made my first pack out. The shell was bought off ebay and is made of alumilite resin (before I knew the guy was blacklisted…).
I’m looking to strengthen around where the brackets are and in various places where I feel it just needs it. I’m just after a little advice as to what is the best stuff to use and the best way to go about it. I’m in the UK and have heard of ‘bondo’ but I can’t seem to find it anywhere, but there must be a UK alternative to use if that is the way to go.
I’m just after a little advice from those who are much more in the know!
Bondo wouldn’t be that good, I’d recommend brushing on some additional resin. I dunno how it is in the UK but any DIY or Auto Repair store in the US sells polyester resin that should work fine.
Why not bondo? That is what I would use. If this is a bad choice I would like to know about it so that I don’t use it in the future…
Bondo is just a filler. If you’re trying to reinforce an area that’s going to be used for structural support and will be subjected to tortional flexing bondo will crack and flake. Despite how the prop community has been using it as a catch-all hard shell lately it was never designed for anything more than smoothing and shaping.
Thank you for the help.
Been looking around, would this stuff be the right thing?
That should work fine. Just be sure and do it outdoors or in a well ventilated area, mix the resin correctly and fully and make sure the area you’re applying it to is roughed up.
Excellent! Thanks for the help 
I wouldn’t use resin or bondo. Ave’s Apoxy Sculpt is the way to go. For examples of what you can do with it check out mine and Hawaiingb’s props. Is extremely strong and has a slow set time so you can really work with it and get it perfect. It also sands very smooth if you ever need to use it externally.
Bonod is not meant for this type of thing. Fiberglass would be good and easy to do.
Found some on ebay.uk for a really good price. So is this stuff good for strengthening a resin shell then? I take it bonds well to the surface once roughed up?
Yes, a little sanding and it bonds very well. I’ve even used it to patch some areas that were already painted (not normally recommended) and it has stayed put. You have a good 3-6 hours to work with the stuff before it gets rock solid. The best part is there is really no mess since it’s basically like play-doh
I recommend getting 4 lbs, I’m sure you’ll use it for other stuff after this.